


The Captain America Centenary Gala

by gracelesso



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Cap just wants to be Steve, Fox News anchors are bad birthday guests, Gen, Not Canon Compliant, Steve Rogers's Birthday, don't let Peter Parker near the guestlist, everybody likes one another and nobody is dust, happy birthday steve, let the man celebrate in peace, oh wow birthdays are on the same date every year, this has not been proof read and may make no sense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-06-05 07:16:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15165446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gracelesso/pseuds/gracelesso
Summary: "Steve looks up at the remaining faces. The group is surprisingly large. Everybody’s here, from Tony to Bucky to Sharon to the tree who keeps introducing himself."Captain America's Hundredth Birthday falls on July 4th - as did his 99th, his 23rd and his first - and this means that a formal celebration is unavoidable. Luckily, the Avengers + Assorted Associates have his back.





	The Captain America Centenary Gala

**Author's Note:**

> I really couldn't let Steve's birthday pass without scribbling something in celebration. 
> 
> For the purposes of this scribble, neither of the Wars, Infinite or Civil, ever took place. All the positive relationships which grew out of them have been independently and mysteriously established, and anything that went wrong simply didn't happen. Nobody is dust. Tony and Cap are friends. Groot is at the party. Let it happen.
> 
> Let it also be noted that I haven't so much as looked this over, so here's an upfront apology for any and all inconsistencies and typos.

Steve accepts the gala as inevitable. Even he isn’t modest enough to imagine that there wouldn’t be some sort of public acknowledgment of Captain America’s Hundredth birthday - on July 4th, as everyone keeps pointing out like that’s in some way surprising after a whole century of his birthday being on that exact date.

It doesn’t feel very celebratory, though. His friends are there, yes, but so are hundreds of other people. Politicians, media people, leaders in business, celebrities of all sorts. There was a red carpet, for god’s sakes. 

Natasha’s hanging off Steve’s arm in a very un-Natasha manner, doing her best to repel people and to explain to him who the guests are. Tony was in charge of the guestlist, of course. Unfortunately, he’s taken to listening to Peter’s opinions on things, and Peter had a lot of opinions on who ought to be invited to this thing. Even Natasha can’t explain what several of them do - she keeps using words like “influencer” and rolling her eyes. It seems to Steve that a lot of the younger ones are famous mainly for being related to somebody more famous.

At some stage, Natasha makes an apology and vanishes, abandoning Steve in the middle of the room. He scans the crowd. He spots Bucky first, mostly because he’s standing between a Norse god and a sentient tree, talking animatedly to a raccoon. They make quite the tableau. Bucky makes an obscene gesture with his metal arm and Thor laughs heartily. Steve decides against joining them - he knows his presence puts a dampener on crassness.

Peter and Shuri are standing in a corner, jabbering to one another and pointing with wide eyes at some idol of theirs who has just arrived dressed in what appears to be the unholy lovechild of a lilac tuxedo and dungarees. Bruce, slightly less dishevelled than usual, is talking to a striking woman in a confusing white top and cobalt trousers who Steve is late to recognise as Maria Hill. Over to their left, T’Challa’s putting in a shift with some older political types Steve knows will be testing the Black Panther’s diplomacy skills to their limit. . 

He hears Sam before he spots him, not the words so much as the tone of a patented Sam Wilson Tall Tale. He’s surrounded by a small crowd, all sucked into his charismatic orbit. Clint’s standing on the fringes, smirking and - Steve suspects - waiting for the best moment to jump in with a comment that either confirms or sabotages the story completely.

There’s an almost imperceptible disturbance to his right and as he turns he sees Pepper steering an inebriated Tony, subtly yet implacably, away from a poisonous-looking woman with a decidedly equine jaw. Steve meets her eye, and regrets it immediately as she begins to approach him, smoothing her youthfully long, unnaturally blonde hair away from her face as she does. Her expression is predatory. 

He’s looking frantically for a way to extricate himself when Pepper and Natasha appear at his sides, two flaming angels of deliverance. At the exact same moment, the air pulses and JARVIS/Vision’s voice echoes from the ceiling, just like the old days.  
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Captain Rogers, Mr Stark, but there appears to be something floating above the building. I think it advisable to draw the festivities to a close and evacuate our guests with all due haste.”

Steve turns wildly and looks out of the window, where the glow of late evening in the city has been partially blocked, half the sky unnaturally dark. He’s on the verge of leaping into action when Natasha puts her hand on his arm.

“Have you seen Wanda this evening?” she asks, oh so casually, one eyebrow quirked. He looks at her, entirely puzzled, until Pepper speaks.

“We thought you’d prefer to celebrate quietly, Steve,” she says, calmly as ever. “James said you’d never enjoyed parties much.”

“He also said you’d never had a surprise party,” announces Tony, swaggering up looking more-or-less sober with his hands spread before him like a gameshow host, “so here you are.”

“Except this is the opposite of a surprise party, Stark,” says Clint as he joins the group.

The guests are being shepherded out, too distracted by excitement, fear and social media to notice the complete lack of urgency among the Avengers and their affiliates as they gather near the bar. 

The room finally empty of strangers, Steve looks up at the remaining faces. The group is surprisingly large. Everybody’s here, from Tony to Bucky to Sharon to the tree who keeps introducing himself. Vision materialises uncannily through the ceiling, and a few seconds later Wanda appears, hands glowing gently.

Steve feels he should make a speech, but no words are coming to him and he’s also slightly concerned he might cry. The silence goes on for an uncomfortably long time. It’s Sam who breaks it at last.

“Happy birthday, Cap,” he says, and the others join in, variations on a simple theme.

There’s only one thing Steve can say, his voice a little thick with emotion.

“Thank you.”

**Author's Note:**

> any and all feedback, kudos, comments, or criticism will be gratefully received. 
> 
> i can also be found at [tumblr](https://gracelesso.tumblr.com/) if you're that way inclined - please come say hi!


End file.
